Wide
by 1234BlueLagoon
Summary: After being rescued from the broken-down trailer by a tophat wearing stranger, Huey discovers that the world is a lot larger than he thought.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello, everyone! So, I'm kind of testing the waters with this story idea. What do you think?_

CHAPTER ONE

My name is Huey, and I live in a trailer in the middle of the woods. Ratmeat and Crazyhair own it. Those aren't their real names, but that's what they call each other. I have to call them 'Sir' and 'Ma'am', but I never think of those as their names. They've always been Ratmeat and Crazyhair to me.

"Huey!" Ratmeat shouted at me as I was taking out the trash, "Mow the yard while you're out there! The wife complained again."

"That ain't my fault, Ratmeat!" Crazyhair shouted from inside the trailer, "The old hag down the street said the yard looked like it was mowed by a kid. It's that darn brat's fault, Ratmeat!"

"Hear that, Huey? Do a better job next time!" Ratmeat shouted, slamming the front door.

"Yes Sir," I said. I have to say it every time, because they could always be listening, and it means big trouble if I leave out the "sir".

I dragged the heavy garbage bag down the dirt driveway that leads from the trailer to the road. As usual, it was full of empty pizza boxes, microwave dinners and soda bottles. Crazyhair never cooked if she could help it. I had gotten sick of eating that stuff long ago, but it wasn't like we had anything else.

At the bottom of the road was the trash can. Ratmeat said that it was better to just leave it there for the garbage men instead of bringing it back and forth from the garage. I wish _he_ was the one carrying this gross, leaky garbage bag all the way down to the trash can two days a week. It gets worse when the animals messed with the can, since it smells like garbage. Once when I stood it up after something knocked it over the night before, I thought I saw bear tracks in the ground next to it.

Anyway, I just managed to fit the garbage bag into the trash can when a car turned down the street. And not just any car, but the strangest car I had ever seen in my life. It was a passenger car, not a truck, so that was rare. Plus, it wasn't all dirty like most of the cars around here. It was the first purple car I had ever seen and it was long, shaped differently from other cars. I think it was a limo. I had never seen a limo before, not in real life anyway.

What on earth was a car like that doing on our street? Didn't they know it was a dead end up ahead?

The limo stopped next to the trash can, and an old duck with a cane stepped out of it. He had obviously seen me from inside the car, because he was staring right at me as he got out. His face was kind of screwed up as he looked at me, almost in a frown. I didn't know what he was thinking, but as he walked around the car towards me I decided to speak first.

"I don't know where you're going, but it's the wrong way." I warned him, "We're the last driveway on this road, Sir."

I thought it was better to call him Sir, since he looked important.

"I'm right where I want to be, Huey m'lad." The duck said, still looking at me funny.

"H-how do you know my name?" I asked.

"I'll explain later. Right now, are those rascals Ratmeat and Crazy-wig around anywhere?"

"They're up in the trailer," I said, "You'd better come back later, though. It's still early, so they might be cranky."

"Still early? But it's one in the afternoon!" The old duck said, looking very shocked, "Nevermind, lad. I've got something important to tell them, and they're going to listen to it!"

He started stomping up the driveway.

"No, wait!" I said, running after him, "You don't understand! Ratmeat can be really, _really_ cranky when he's cranky!"

"So can I!" The duck said without looking back, walking faster than before.

He walked right up to the trailer door and started pounding on it.

"Ratmeat! I _demand_ to speak to you, this instant!"

I was actually surprised when Ratmeat opened the door. "Yeah? What do ya want? Make it fast, Buster, and you better be no insurance salesman!"

"When I get through with you, you'll wish I was!"

Crazyhair walked up behind Ratmeat and looked past his elbow to see out the door.

"Who are _you_?" She asked the strange duck.

"The man who just bought the land your house is on. I'm here to turn you out, and over to the police."

"The police?" Crazyhair gasped.

"You can't do that!" Ratmeat said, "We didn't do nothing to get thrown out and stuff!"

"Nothing?" The duck asked, "This isnae your land, you squatters! You've never paid any rent before, you've evaded your taxes, and right now this place is surrounded by police who are going to arrest you for kidnapping!"

Kidnapping?! I had lived with these people all my life. I know they are nuts, but would they really stoop to kidnapping someone?

"We didn't kidnap him, we found him!" Crazyhair said.

"Yeah, if you want him, you can have him!" Ratmeat shouted, pointing at me.

Wait.

Me? They were talking about _me_?!

I know I should have been more shocked, but all I could feel was relief. I wasn't related to them after all!

"Huey, go wait in the car." The stranger said, "I'm going ta take you back to yer real home."

I looked first at the stranger, and then at Ratmeat. I had known Ratmeat all my life, and as for the stranger, I didn't even know his name. But I suddenly realized that this stranger was already treating me better than all the nicest days Ratmeat and Crazyhair had combined.

So, there was no reason for me _not_ to get inside the car. I turned around and ran towards the vehicle, leaving the rotten trailer behind. The car's driver was standing there next to an open back door, and once I got inside he closed it behind me.

It was a very nice car, almost too nice. It was weird how clean it was, and I was a little worried that my shoes were messing up the carpet.

I looked out the window, but couldn't hear anything. I know that Ratmeat and the stranger yelled at each other a little more, but I kind of got bored of watching them. Thankfully, Ratmeat must have been too scared for some reason to think of punching the nice stranger, and all they did was argue.

I looked away to examine the car's interior more closely. Were all cars this clean? When I looked up again, it was because I heard sirens. Several police cars pulled up on the little-used country road next and up the driveway, but what really surprised me was that there were already police standing by the trailer. I didn't even see how they got there, but two of them were handcuffing Ratmeat!

I watched, and I think my mouth was open, as the policeman walked Ratmeat over to one of the police cars and put him in the backseat. They put Crazyhair in a different police car, and both cars took off. After a while, the stranger duck stopped talking to the police who were still at the house and walked towards me. He opened the back door by himself and sat down right next to me.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Huey." He said, closing the door behind him. "Wait a minute. We forgot ta pack yer things. If you don't want ta go back inside, I can-"

"That's okay, I don't have anything." I interrupted.

"Are ye sure? Ya don't have any toys or clothes that ye'll miss later?"

"No sir. I'm wearing everything." I said, then because the stranger made a strange face that I didn't understand, I quickly changed the topic. "Who are you? How did you know-I mean, was I really kidnapped? What happened?"

"It's a long story," the duck said, "But we have time. Duckburg, and step on it." I only realized he said that last part to the driver when the car started moving.

"Ack, lad, put on yer seat belt!" The duck said, reaching over and buckling me in, "Now. We'll start with introductions. My name is Scrooge McDuck, and I'm your great-uncle."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you all for your patience! Life has been knocking hard lately, so it was difficult to write this._

CHAPTER TWO

"My-my what?" I asked. Did he just say what I thought he said?

"Yer uncle, lad. I'm yer uncle. You can call me Uncle Scrooge." The duck said, looking a little pleased for some reason.

I wasn't sure what to think. This duck was...my uncle? All I had ever known were Ratmeat and Crazyhair, and I had only just now realized they weren't even related. And then the duck in front of me...

"Now Huey," I heard him say, "You've been missing from your family ever since ya were kidnapped, many years ago. I've only just now tracked ye down."

I was listening very carefully now.

"Your legal guardian is yer Uncle Donald. Donald Duck." The duck, er, Scrooge McDuck, said. "That makes you Huey Duck."

"Duck." I repeated. It sounded good.

"Donald's been responsible for you and your brothers ever since ye were wee babes."

"Wow."

Wait.

"Did you say brothers? I have _brothers_?!" I was so surprised by this that I started using my hands to wring the sealtbelt I was wearing, like it was laundry.

"Yes." Scrooge said patiently, "You have two brothers, Dewey and Louie. And ya all look alike, because you are triplets."

"Tr-triplets?"

This was too much. Way, way too much!

"Aye," Scrooge said, "I'm sure they'll be glad ta see you again. It's been a long time."

Y-yeah. So long that I don't even know them.

I slunk down in my seat. This was really...a lot to take in, wasn't it?

Something out the window caught my eye. We were finally out of the mountain, but instead of turning left towards the small town I had known all my life, we turned right. I had never been in this direction before, and all those buildings were brand new. In fact, there was something weird on top of that small one.

"What was that!" I shouted, jumping up. The seatbelt stopped me, so I unbuckled and raced to Scrooge's window to see the strange roof better.

"Now wait just a minute!" Scrooge said, grabbing my arm and pulling me back, "Ya can't just unbuckle while the car is moving, Huey! Now sit down and stay in yer seat!"

He sounded strict, but I could tell right away that he wasn't going to hurt me. I sat down like he wanted but couldn't help shaking with excitement. "I've never been down this road before, Scrooge! What _was_ that?"

"Scrooge?" He said, sounding offended as he buckled me up again, "That's _Uncle_ Scrooge to you, boy. Respect your elders. And that was just a large ice cream cone. It's what the place sells."

"Ice cream cone? I've heard of those! Are they tasty?"

Scrooge looked surprised and for a second I thought my new uncle was angry, but the look quickly passed away and, unlike Ratmeat, he answered my question. "Of course," he said, then after a slight pause, "Driver, pull over. I want tae make a quick stop before we head back to Duckburg."

A few minutes later, Scrooge handed me my first ice cream cone inside the small store.

Mine was chocolate, and Scrooge-er, _Uncle_ Scrooge, got vanilla. I don't think he originally was going to get one, but when I said I didn't know what chocolate or vanilla tasted like, he said we might as well get both so I could taste-test both of them. I don't think the car driver got any ice cream cones, but he seemed to like sitting in the car, so everyone was happy.

The ice cream was really good.

"Now Huey," Uncle Scrooge said, licking his treat, "What do ya like to do for fun?"

"Well," I said, thinking more about the ice cream I was eating than the question, "Mow the lawn, I guess. It beats working in the house most of the time."

"No no no, I'm not talking about _chores_ ," Uncle Scrooge said, "What do ya like to _do_? Play outside, games, marbles, that kind of thing."

"Oh." I said. I hadn't done much of any of that.

"I guess I like to read," I finally answered, after giving the question some careful thought.

The nice lady who used to live down the street taught me how to read and write. Before she moved away, she even gave me two of her books. Ratmeat sold them, though. I really liked that nice lady.

"Good lad!" Uncle Scrooge said, "And did ya have much time ta read?"

"No, not really," I said, "But sometimes, I used to sneak outside and read at night. You know, when the moon was bright enough."

He kept asking me questions, and then surprisingly would let me talk for as long as I wanted. This felt really great. I found myself opening up to him more and more, and by the time we were done eating, I think I told Uncle Scrooge practically everything I knew about myself.

I really liked him. He was the first adult to listen to me this way. And even if he didn't, I was just amazed that he would actually answer my questions when I asked them.

We finished our ice cream and got back into the limo. This time Uncle Scrooge did most of the talking, pointing out many of the things we saw on the road and telling me all about them. This was great because I had been wondering about some of the stuff for a long time, but Ratmeat and Crazyhair would never tell me about them. Whenever I asked _them_ they'd say I could learn about it on tv, but I never did. So now I knew what the pictures on the road signs mean, why the flag on the flagpole sometimes goes all the way up and sometimes only halfway, and a lot of other things. Uncle Scrooge seemed especially interested in buildings and businesses.

Then, suddenly, we were driving through Duckburg.

"Welcome to me home city, lad!" Uncle Scrooge said, gesturing with both arms, "I practically built the place from the ground up. What do ya think?"

What...what? This was a city? It was amazing! I had seen them on tv before, but never like this. There were buildings on top of buildings on top of buildings, and street after street. Coming from the mountains, I had never seen so many buildings or people in my life.

Uncle Scrooge must have been pleased at my reaction, because he started chuckling.

"There's a lot ta do in a city," he said, "You can come visit me here whenever you like."

"Really?" I asked, "Does my new family lives close to you?"

"Well, 'tis a fair distance, but ya can always take the car."

"Really? I can drive?" I asked, getting excited, "I've always wanted to drive! Hey, can we pull over? Can I drive now?"

Uncle Scrooge tapped me on the head with his cane. It wasn't a hit, really. There was no anger or power behind it, but dang, that _stung_.

What'd I do?

"Where'd you get that idea?" He asked, "You're only ten. Ten year olds cannae drive a car. You'll have ta ride with yer uncle until ya turn old enough."

Okay, whatever. A new family means new rules, I get it.

Then something he said struck me, and I couldn't help unbuckling to go closer to my uncle and face him directly.

"Ack, lad! I've told ye before, buckle up when the car is moving!" Uncle Scrooge said, pushing me back to my seat and buckling the strap.

"I'm ten?" I asked him, "Am I really ten? Is that my age?"

Uncle Scrooge looked me in the eyes. I think I was grinning ear to ear, and maybe that's why he looked a little startled?

"Aye," he said slowly, nodding, "Yer ten."

So, to sum it up, today I got a new uncle, a new family, Ratmeat and Crazyhair are in jail, I ate ice cream and I finally learned my age.

Best. Day. Ever!


	3. Chapter 3

_Here is the next chapter!_

CHAPTER THREE

Since Uncle Scrooge kept answering my questions and since this was the best day of my life, I decided to keep asking him things while looking out both windows of the car. You know, so I wouldn't miss anything. I was so busy that it took me a second to realize we were driving up to a giant hotel.

I knew it was a hotel without even asking, because for once the tv shows that were always on actually taught me something. This place looked like a giant house, but it was obviously too big for a family. That meant that it must be a mansion hotel like the kind that was always in that travel commercial.

"Well, here we are, welcome to me humble home." Uncle Scrooge said.

He lived in the hotel?

"It's very big," I said, and Uncle Scrooge chuckled.

"Yer Uncle Donald lives on a houseboat. It's a lot smaller than this, and you'll have ta share space with yer brothers, but it's cozy all the same. While we were having ice cream I had Duckworth send word for Donald ta meet us here."

He waved his hand toward the driver, so I think the driver was Duckworth. But that didn't really matter right now, I was thinking about other things, so I shrunk down in my seat.

"Nervous, lad?" Uncle Scrooge asked, "Don't be. Yer Uncle Donald might have a bit of a temper, but he's not a bad duck. And don't worry if it takes you a while ta understand him."

"Huh?"

"You'll see," Uncle Scrooge said, and the car came to a stop. "You can wait here if you like," Uncle Scrooge continued as he unbuckled, "Come out when yer ready."

He stepped out of the limo and shut the door, but the driver never turned off the car so I still got A/C. Which felt really nice, since it was cold.

"AQUACKACKWACKWAQ!"

I jumped! Suddenly, a blue blur flew out of nowhere and landed in front of Uncle Scrooge.

"AFWQWAQWKALWFWLQAKLQKLKQHUEYQAWAWL? AQWAWWAQQHUEYQAWAFLAQ!"

I rolled down the window just enough to be able to hear outside.

"Now calm down, Donald." Uncle Scrooge said, "Yes, I found him-"

I rolled the window back up. The blue blur was my new uncle! He seemed a little crazy, but Uncle Scrooge said he wasn't bad. Still, if I can't understand him, will I get in trouble if I don't know what chores he's telling me to do?

But I came this far, and at least I wouldn't be in the trailer anymore, so I might as well keep going. I decided to take a deep breath and leave the car. Just...not out the side where my Uncles were standing. I opened the door on the other side.

Slowly, I stepped out and quietly closed the door, turned around and saw...myself.

"AHHH!" I shouted, and I was half-inside the car again before the other me grabbed my hand.

"Wait!" The other me said, "It's me, Dewey!"

That was when I remembered that I had identical brothers.

"I'm Huey," I said, slowly getting out of the car. The brother let go of my hand.

"Wow, you really scared us." Said another voice, and that's when I realized that the other brother was standing next to the car too.

"I'm Louie." He said.

"Are you really our twin?" One of the brothers asked-I had already mixed them up, but it was the brother in the blue shirt.

"Must be. Looks just like us." The green shirt brother said, "I thought we'd never meet you! Uncle Donald's been searching for you for _ages_."

"And he's been telling us your baby stories, like, every day." The blue shirt brother said.

"HUEY!" Someone shouted, and suddenly the blue blur I had seen earlier was picking me up off the ground, "AQWAQL _SO_ QAWAQAQAQWAQWAWAWQ!"

I think it was the shock of it all, but I completely froze. It was never a good thing to be grabbed like this, but the best way to avoid getting hurt was to calm down and find out what they want.

"AWAQ! AWQAWAWAWE?" Uncle Donald said.

"He can't understand ye, Donald." Uncle Scrooge said. I can't described how relieved I was to hear his voice, even though I couldn't see him.

"Huey," Uncle Scrooge said, "Yer Uncle Donald said he's very glad to see you again, and he's asking if you're alright."

"Um, yes," I said, "C-could you please put me down, Sir?"

"SIR? AWWW, AQAWWQQWAQAWWLWFWL!" Uncle Donald set me down, thankfully, and pat me on the head as if I had done something he approved of.

"Boys, I see you've met Huey." Uncle Scrooge said, talking to my brothers, "Now I want ya to take good care of him. He grew up in the mountains, and doesn't know the city like you do."

"We'll teach you!" Green shirt grabbed my hand.

"Yeah!" Blue shirt grabbed my other hand, "We'll show you the park, and baseball, and everything!"

"AWAQ." Uncle Donald nodded his head in satisfaction, then turned and started speaking with Uncle Scrooge again.

The brothers, meanwhile, started talking to me at once about a lot of things that I didn't know. I think they started telling me about the park and baseball, but then they started talking about toys and cartoons, I think.

They got really excited and started practically bouncing around me in circles, their voices getting louder and louder. I didn't want to get into trouble, especially since I wasn't sure what they were doing, so I ran to hide behind Uncle Scrooge. He was still talking with Uncle Donald but was nice enough to pretend he didn't notice me, even though everyone else started staring at me for some reason.

"Huey? Are you alright?" The kid in the blue shirt asked, interrupting Uncle Scrooge.

"Ack, he's just a little shy is all," Uncle Scrooge said, still pretending not to notice that I was grabbing his coat, "He's not used ta having brothers, you know. There weren't many kids his age up in the mountains. Perhaps if you take it a bit slower."

That seemed to bring the smile back to the brother's faces. They started talking to me again, but were careful to be quieter and speak one at a time. They didn't seem to mind that I wasn't letting go of Uncle Scrooge.

"Your school has a library?" I asked during a pause in their conversation. It was the first question I had ever asked them, and they seemed to be really happy about it.

"YEAH!" They both shouted at once, and suddenly they were back to talking loudly at the same time.

But I didn't mind this time. I was getting used to it, even though I kept expecting one of the adults to tell them to be quiet. It seemed like they were allowed to be as loud as they wanted.

"QUIET!" Uncle Donald shouted, "AQWAWAAWAQWA," he groaned, rubbing his forehead.

Well, guess I was wrong.

"Yes Uncle Donald," the brothers said quietly, but a few seconds later they were just as loud again.

This was really different, especially since they weren't afraid of Uncle Donald. Sure he told them to be quiet, but he let them get really loud before saying anything, and he didn't even mean it when he yelled at them. I think it might take me a while to get used to these new family rules.

Before I knew it, I had left Uncle Scrooge behind and the brothers were teaching me how to play marbles. Apparently it's a game that all the kids in their school play, because you can trade marbles with each other.

"Here, I want to give you one. Which one would you like?" I was suddenly presented with a bag of the small toys.

"Can I have this one, Dewey?" I asked.

"I'm Louie. _He's_ Dewey. Sure, you can have it. That's a good one. I got it from Webby-she's this cool girl at school. She always gets the best marbles."

This was one of the best marbles? And they were letting me _borrow_ it? I honestly didn't know what to say. This day just kept getting better and better!

I don't know how much longer we stayed out there playing marbles on the ground, but I turned around when I heard footsteps. Uncle Scrooge was coming up behind me.

"Well boys, I know you're having fun, but yer Uncle Donald says it's time ta go home." He said.

The brothers groaned, but then they started to pick up their toys. So I helped them put the marbles away in a bag.

"Oh, yeah!" The brother in the blue shirt said-Dewey, I think? "We haven't shown you our house yet!"

"We live on a boat. I'll bet you haven't lived in a boat, since you lived in the mountains," The other brother said.

That's right, Uncle Scrooge mentioned earlier that they lived on a boat.

"I haven't been in a boat on water, but I've slept in a boat on land before." I said.

"Why'd you want to do that?" Dewey asked, closing the marble bag.

I shrugged. It wasn't like I had a choice.

"Anyway, let's get going!" Louie, the green shirt brother said as he grabbed my hand.

Why did they like grabbing my hand so much? Wasn't that something you only did when someone was in trouble?

Maybe my new family had different rules about hand grabbing.

The brother lead me past the limo over to an old car, and I only had time to look at Uncle Scrooge before I was pulled inside.

"Sit down, sit down!" Dewey said, and he and Louie buckled themselves in. So of course, I followed their example and buckled up too.

"Huey," Uncle Scrooge said, speaking to me through the open car door, "I know this is all brand new ta you, and it'll take some time ta get used to everything. But dunnae be afraid ta ask questions and ta have fun."

I nodded reflexively.

"See ya tomorrow, lads!" Uncle Scrooge said, and he closed the car door.

"Bye Uncle Scrooge!" The brothers cried out, at exactly the same time. It was a little weird because they waved at him the exact same way too. It was like watching one person twice.

Uncle Donald then got in the driver's seat, said something I couldn't understand to Uncle Scrooge, then another something I couldn't stand to me and my brothers, and the next thing I knew we were driving away down the road, leaving Uncle Scrooge behind at his hotel.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Uncle Donald's car didn't run as smoothly as Uncle Scrooge's, but compared to the open bed of Ratmeat's beat up truck, it was a thousand times better. Even if the car did break down a couple times on the way, it felt so amazing to be inside it and not outside when it started to rain.

My brothers kept talking the whole way, and a couple of times when I stood up to look at something interesting they reminded me to buckle up just like Uncle Scrooge had. Uncle Donald kept talking to me too, but I had no idea what he was saying.

Uncle Donald parked the car in a parking spot next to a dock that was floating on the water.

"Well, quwqkaka, kwqkaksakqwqk."

"What did he say?" I whispered to the brother in blue as we got out of the car.

"He said 'this is it, home sweet home.' We live on that houseboat." The brother said, not even bothering to whisper. He gestured over to the boat at the end of the dock as we got out of the car.

Something flashed, and Uncle Donald muttered happily to himself as he looked down at a camera. I guess he had taken a picture of us?

"AwqoqwboysawoqHueyqlwawqowwm." Uncle Donald said, winding the camera for another photo. It must really be an old camera if he had to wind it, like the one Crazyhair found in the dump.

"Yes Uncle Donald." Louie and Dewey said.

"What'd he say?" I whispered. Was the blue brother Dewey? He was, right?

"He told us to show you our bedroom." Dewey responded, "Come on!"

He grabbed my hand-seriously, what is up with the hand grabbing? I didn't even _do_ anything!-and dragged me over to the houseboat that was attached to the dock.

The houseboat was the biggest boat I had ever been in before, but the way it worked inside was a lot like the trailer Ratmeat and Crazyhair lived in. Since there weren't very many rooms, I knew right away when the brothers opened a door from the kitchen that this was their bedroom. It had a bunk bed on one side, a small bed on the other and a lot of clothing on the floor. There was even clothing and toys covering the bottom bunk bed. I guess cleaning will be part of my chores now, but at least this wasn't as bad as back at the trailer.

"Sorry, it's a little messy right now." Louie said.

"You get the bottom bunk," Dewey said, taking the clothes and stuff off of the bottom bunk bed and tossing them straight onto the floor. "The top's Louie's, and that's my bed over there."

I nodded. It was nice that there was a sheet already on the mattress. Actually, it was pretty nice that they happened to have a bed they weren't using in the room. I wasn't so sure I would have enjoyed sleeping on the floor since the boat kept rocking back and forth.

"Louie, go get the extra comforter from Uncle Donald's room."

"On it," Louie said, racing out of the room.

"As soon as he gets back, we'll give you the grand tour!" Dewey said, "I'll show you where you can put your stuff. Hey, where did you put your suitcase?"

"Suitcase?" I asked, then, "I didn't bring one."

"What, really?" Dewey asked, raising an eyebrow, "Did you at least remember to bring your swimsuit?"

"I don't have one."

"Seriously? Well, I guess we could let you use one of our old ones. We go swimming a lot around here."

I could see why. They lived on a houseboat by the ocean, so why wouldn't they go swimming outside whenever they wanted?

Louie came back with the biggest comforter I had ever seen in my life and tossed it onto the bottom bunk bed.

"Done!" He said, not even bothering to spread it across the mattress, "Now, come on! We've got a whole houseboat to introduce you to!"

Someone grabbed my hand again, and I was taken on a whirlwind tour of the place.

It didn't take long to go over every room. I was really surprised that the twin's bedroom was the messiest, and that Uncle Donald didn't have any empty pizza boxes or beer cans in his bedroom. When the twins showed me the kitchen, they kept talking about the soda in the fridge like it was some kind of treasure. And when they brought me back to their room and showed me their comics, I was really astonished that books like those exist.

Uncle Donald stayed in the kitchen for most of the time, but sometimes he followed us around with his camera and said things I couldn't understand while he took pictures. Dewey and Louie ignored him, but once or twice they told me to look up at him and smile while he took a photo. I wasn't really sure what smiling had to do with anything, but since they were doing it too I didn't feel too weird about it.

So far no one had told me what my new chores were going to be, but when I asked Louie he looked at me funny and said not to worry about them, since Uncle Donald would tell us when we had to do any.

After following the twins around and doing whatever they felt like, Uncle Donald apparently announced that it was time for dinner. This really surprised me, since normally Ratmeat and Crazyhair make me tell _them_ when it's time for dinner. The meal Uncle Donald made turned out to be soda and pizza. This was the kind of food I was used to, and actually I was a bit sick of it, so I didn't eat much. But I was really surprised that we ate with Uncle Donald at the table. Normally Ratmeat and Crazyhair eat most of the pizza first and give me the slices that are leftover after they're full, so I thought all adults did too when they weren't eating out in a restaurant.

"Unca Donald, dis is so good!" Louie said, his mouth full.

"Why can't we eat like this all the time?" Dewey asked.

Dewey and Louie really surprised me by eating almost all of the pizza right away, while Uncle Donald had only one slice. Did he not like pizza? But why would he order food if he didn't like it?

After dinner, Louie and Dewey told me to sit down on the small couch that faced the tiny tv. Then they sat down next to me, put in a DVD, and watched a cartoon movie I had never seen before. Uncle Donald walked into the room at one point to take another photo, and just when I thought he was going to tell us to get out so he could watch tv he handed all three of us a big bowl of ice cream.

Honestly, this whole day was amazing. I was still a little worried about what new chores I would have, but no one seemed to want to talk about them so I didn't ask.

After the movie, Dewey and Louie dragged me back to their bedroom to go to bed, but Uncle Donald said we had to take a bath first. (At least, that's what Dewey told me he said.) I don't like baths, so I asked if I could take a shower instead and Uncle Donald showed me how to work the shower and had me go first. He even gave me some red clothes to wear when I got out. By the time Dewey and Louie were done with their bath, I had made the bottom bunk I was going to sleep in and cleaned up most of the mess on the bedroom floor.

Finally, after what seemed like the shortest but best day of my life, I was lying in bed listening to Dewey and Louie snore in their sleep. It was so weird sleeping in the same room as other people, and in a real bed. Uncle Donald had even come in at one point, when Dewey and Louie were still awake, and he pulled up the blankets for each of us and even kissed each of us on the forehead. He said something to me when he did mine, but I still don't understand him, so all I heard him say was my name. He had rubbed my head before he left, leaving the door open just a little.

That was hours ago, though. Uncle Donald and everyone else was asleep, but I hadn't been able to fall asleep. The bed was too soft, and besides I was a little worried that if I went to sleep I'd wake up back in the trailer. Finally, I realized that I wasn't going to be able to sleep, so I just got up instead.

At first I walked outside of the houseboat and stood on its deck because I wanted to see the stars, but it turned out that there was too much light from the city. I didn't mind though, because I had never seen the city at night before. And the sounds of the water lapping up against the boat were pretty nice, too.

Then, after a while, I walked off the houseboat and over to Uncle Donald's car where it was parked in the parking lot. I tried opening it, but for some reason it was locked. It was a little weird to lock your car, but I guess people do things differently here.

As I was exploring the parking lot, I had a brilliant idea. Why not go visit Uncle Scrooge? I memorized the streets we took when Uncle Donald drove from the hotel to the houseboat. It shouldn't take too long to walk there, and everyone else was asleep, so why not?

With my destination in mind, I started walking down the road right away.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Walking to Uncle Scrooge's hotel was interesting. There were a lot of things to see in the city at night. Even though it was late, there were a lot of people still awake and walking around. There were also a lot of people who looked as mean as Ratmeat, so I was careful to avoid them and pretended I didn't hear when they called out to me.

At first I walked by myself on the sidewalk, since that's what everyone else was doing. After crossing the street when it was clear and getting yanked back by people a few times-they kept saying "it's red" for some reason, and I think they were talking about the red and green decorated lamps-I starting walking close to people who looked nice and crossing the street at the same time they did. Many of these people didn't notice me, even though I was close enough to steal their wallets if I wanted. I guess people in the city don't look around them as much as people in the mountains.

After walking for a while, I made it to Uncle Scrooge's hotel. I almost decided to turn around and go back without saying hi to him, just in case he was asleep, but decided against it and tried opening the door.

It was locked.

That's when I realized why people were always knocking on doors in Crazyhair's shows-people in the city must lock their doors just like Uncle Donald locked his car. And here I thought Ratmeat was the only one who ever locked doors.

So, I started knocking and didn't stop. I wasn't sure who would open it, but since this was a hotel there should be someone around.

I was really surprised when Uncle Scrooge opened it himself, and he looked surprised too for some reason. He was wearing a white shirt and some kind of weird light blue hat.

"Huey? What are _you_ doing here? Where's yer Uncle Donald?"

"Back at the houseboat," I said, "I couldn't sleep, so I came to see if you were awake."

I was really glad that he was, because if not I would have woken him up.

"Ugh," Uncle Scrooge said, rubbing his eyes.

Uh oh. Maybe he was tired after all.

"Ya cannae leave the houseboat without Donald," he said, "A ten year old cannot go around the city alone, it's too dangerous!"

It didn't really seem that bad...

"Come inside and warm up," Uncle Scrooge said, opening the front door wider, "I'll let Donald know yer here, and bring you home. He's probably worried sick by now."

"I don't think so, he was asleep when I left." I pointed out.

"That doesn't mean anything, he's probably woken up fifty times already." Uncle Scrooge said, walking over to a telephone sitting on a table in the hallway. "And why did ye go out in yer night clothes?"

"Night clothes?" I asked.

"Pajamas." Uncle Scrooge said cryptically, but before I could ask what he meant by _that_ he started speaking into the phone. "Hello, Donald?...Yes yes, I know. He's here...What?...Walked. I'll bring him round as soon as I start the car...We'll be right there."

He hung up the phone and turned back to me.

"What did I tell you? Donald was so worried even I could barely understand him! Now you wait here for a spell, I need ta grab me hat and we can head out. Don't move!"

So, I stood by the door for a while admiring the ceiling. When Uncle Scrooge came back, he had not only his hat but his whole outfit that he wore during the day.

"Now, let's get going." He said, walking out the door. As soon as I was out too he locked it behind me. "This way." He said, walking around the hotel. "It's too early for Duckworth ta punch in yet, so it looks like I'll be doing the driving."

He pressed some buttons on the side of the building, and it opened the garage. There was just one car in it, the limo from earlier. Briefly, I wondered where everyone else who stayed at the hotel parked their cars.

"Right, don't forget ta buckle up." Uncle Scrooge said, getting in the driver's seat. I got into the seat next to him. As soon as I was buckled, the limo shot forward.

"Whaa!" I shouted, hanging onto the seat for dear life.

"Hang tight, lad. I havenae driven in a while, but I can race with the best of 'em!"

We shot down the street, twisting and turning, and when I opened my eyes we were parked next to Uncle Donald's car.

"What did I tell ye? Yer Uncle was worried sick!" Uncle Scrooge said, pointing.

Uncle Donald was racing towards the car, sobbing, with arms outstretched.

I...hadn't realized I would get in this much trouble for going out. Uncle Donald was clearly upset. I must have broken a really big rule this time.

I stepped out of the car, hoping that Uncle Donald's punishments weren't as bad as Ratmeat's.

"HUEY!" Uncle Donald said, throwing himself on top of me, "HUEY!"

And then, crying so much in between words that I could actually understand him for once, "I...thought...you were...gone!"

W-what was this? Why was he holding me?

I stood there, frozen, until Uncle Donald pulled himself off of me, still sniffling.

"Come on," he said, speaking so slowly that I could hear every word, "Let's go inside. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

...What?

He pulled me into the houseboat, and only let go of my hand to start going through the cupboards, still sniffling. Uncle Scrooge followed us inside and sat down at the table, so I sat down next to him.

"Uncle Scrooge," I whispered, "Is he broken?"

Uncle Scrooge pat me on the head, and whispered back, "No lad. Just worried."

 _Pooof!_ The gas stove turned on, and Uncle Donald put a pot of water over it. Then he turned around.

"Scrooge?" He asked, "Awqawqawqkaqwewqaqw?"

"What am I doin' here? Ya mean ta say you expected me ta leave right after dropping off me nephew?" Uncle Scrooge asked, but even though his words were angry, he sounded more tired than upset.

Uncle Donald sighed. "Qawfee?"

"Sure, why not."

I had no idea what they were talking about, but Uncle Donald turned on the coffee maker. A few minutes later, he set down some hot drink in front of me, and a cup of coffee in front of himself and Uncle Scrooge.

I had never had whatever this was before, and to be honest I kind of wanted some coffee instead. But as soon as I tried the drink in front of me, I decided it was much better than any cup of coffee I'd ever had.

"How's yer hot chocolate?" Uncle Scrooge asked. I nodded my approval.

"Well," Uncle Donald began, and then he started some extremely long speech that I couldn't understand. I wish he'd talk slowly again.

At least it didn't seem like he was talking to me, since Uncle Scrooge was the one who answered him. They were talking about how I had walked over to see him, apparently. It seemed like they were just going to discuss this for a while, so I tuned them out.

"He can't understand ye," Uncle Scrooge said at the end, when Uncle Donald was looking at me expectedly. I hadn't even noticed that I was supposed to be listening-I was too busy drinking the delicious new drink.

"Sorry." I said.

"Huey, don't ever do that again." Uncle Scrooge said. "Yer Uncle Donald says he's not going ta punish you this time, but you'll get inta big trouble if you leave the house without telling anyone."

I nodded. It was practically a miracle that I got into trouble and wasn't getting punished, and they even gave me this really tasty drink.

I definitely didn't want to get in trouble for real. Besides, Uncle Donald...I didn't want to see him make that face again.

"You have ta promise." Uncle Scrooge said.

"I promise."

"Good," said Uncle Scrooge.

I think Uncle Donald said the same thing, and then the two of them started talking again. But even though I perked up when Uncle Scrooge mentioned Ratmeat once, I wasn't really listening to them anymore.

The sky was getting brighter. I could see it through the houseboat's kitchen windows.

"Good morning, Uncle Donald! Ahh! Uncle Scrooge, what are you doing here?"

I sat up straight thinking I was in trouble, but that wasn't Ratmeat's voice, and it definitely wasn't Crazyhair.

Of course it wasn't them. Why would I even think that? It was Dewey.

"Just having a talk with yer uncle," Uncle Scrooge said as the twins joined us at the table. They ended up sharing the same seat though, because there weren't enough chairs. It didn't look very comfortable to be squashed like that.

"You _never_ come to visit, so why are you here so early?" Louie asked, pushing Dewey a little to make more room.

"Morning Huey," Dewey said to me, pushing back at his brother.

"Yes it is," I said.

"Huh?"

Uncle Scrooge spoke up.

"Yer Uncle and I were talking about an opportunity for an adventure." He said.

They were? What did I miss out on while I was looking out the window?

"Oh, the usual." Dewey said, "Uncle Donald, can I have some hot chocolate for breakfast like Huey?"

"Me too, make me some too!" Louie shouted.

"Fine," Uncle Donald said slowly, moving towards the cupboards.

"Whoohoo!" Dewey and Louie cheered, and Louie moved over to the chair Donald had just left.

"Anyway," Uncle Scrooge said, "Donald said yes."

The twins froze.

"Wait, what?" Dewey asked.

"Uncle Donald, are you serious?" Louie asked, "You actually agreed to go on a trip with _him_?"

"Hey! I'm still here, ya know." Uncle Scrooge said.

Uncle Donald nodded and started to say something, but just then the stove caught on fire.

Uncle Donald quacked and tried putting it out, but he accidentally knocked over a whole rack of oven mitts and those caught on fire too. His quacking got louder. He pulled out a red fire extinguisher like the kind you see give people amnesia on Crazyhair's shows, and it fell on his foot. When he couldn't open it, it slipped upwards out of his hands and crashed into a whole stack of plates sitting next to the sink.

Then, Uncle Donald...Donald...got upset.

He suddenly in a frenzy, pulling things off the shelves and slamming them onto the fiery stove, moving insanely fast the entire time.

He was madder than Ratmeat.

I couldn't stay in the kitchen any longer. What if Donald was still mad when he turned around, especially since I had broken a rule earlier by leaving the boat? If he was still mad...

I jumped out of my chair and ran. I heard Uncle Scrooge call out after me, so he was probably mad too for some reason, but it's better to let people cool off when they're mad so I ignored him. I can't leave the houseboat since I don't want to break a rule again and get into even _more_ trouble, so I ran to the twins' bedroom and closed the door.

The first time I had walked in, I noticed that you couldn't see the top of the bunk bed, not even if you were Ratmeat's height.

So that's where I went. I clambered up the ladder and huddled in the far corner, lying as close to the bed as I could. If I stayed here long enough, things would cool off and I could avoid the worst of the punishment.

Five seconds after I was settled, the bedroom door opened.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

"Huey?" One of the twins asked, and even though I couldn't see them I knew both of the twins had walked inside the room, "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Did Uncle Donald scare you?" The other twin asked, "He didn't mean anything, he just-Huey, are you in here?"

I could hear them walking around the room looking for me, and someone even opened the drawers. I really hoped they wouldn't find me; I was sure they'd tell Donald.

"Maybe he's not in here," one of them said, "He's not under the bunk bed."

"And he's not under this bed either."

"But if he's not here, where could he be?"

I kept my breath quiet. I didn't want to be found! Not by Donald!

"Quackywahkboys?" The shadows in the room flickered as the door was pushed further open.

Speaking of Donald, it sounded like he had walked in. Thankfully, he didn't sound mad anymore. But that doesn't really mean anything.

"No luck Uncle Donald," one of the boys answered.

"But we saw him go in here, right?" The other asked.

"Aye, that we did." I heard Uncle Scrooge say, and suddenly the bunk bed started shaking.

Someone was climbing the ladder. I felt my heart drop.

"Uncle Scrooge?" One of the twins asked.

I forced myself to look in the direction of the ladder, and I saw Uncle Scrooge's hat slowly bobbing up towards the ceiling before his face came into view.

Our eyes met, and I held the pillow tighter.

"Now then," Uncle Scrooge said, suddenly turning away from me, "Dewey and Louie, I want the both of ye ta go watch some television for a while."

"Is Huey up there?" They asked, almost exactly at the same time, and I felt the bed shake. But since Uncle Scrooge was on the ladder, I think they must have been trying to climb up the side.

"Get down!" He told them, although he didn't sound mad or anything, "Now run along, lads! Yer Uncle Donald and I have everything under control here. Go play for a while."

With some grumbling, the shaking of the bunk bed stopped and the boys left the room. One of them closed the door behind them, leaving us alone.

"Now Huey," Uncle Scrooge said, but I wasn't looking at him anymore. "Yer Uncle Donald isn't mad at you. He wants ta apologize for frightening you."

I remained quiet. Scrooge didn't budge an inch from where he was standing on the ladder, and Donald was still somewhere in the room.

"Huey," Uncle Scrooge said softly, "Donald would never hurt you. He doesn't ever hurt Dewey or Louie. He gets angry, aye, but he's never hurt anyone."

What was he talking about? That didn't make any sense.

Uncle Scrooge sighed. "I'm coming up," he announced, and with a few more shakes of the bunk bed, he crawled over to where I was curled up.

"There now," he said, sitting up next to me and dangling his feet over the edge. "Donald? Have you got anything to say?"

I followed where Uncle Scrooge was looking and peeked over the side of the bed. I didn't realize that Donald had been sitting on the bunk below us.

He looked up at us, but didn't say anything. Instead, he was crying silently.

Crying? Why was he crying?

"Why are you crying?"

Oops. I said it out loud. Quickly, I ducked back into the bed.

"Even grownups have ta cry every now and then," Uncle Scrooge said, quietly. "Go ahead, Donald. If ya speak slowly enough, he'll understand you."

I poked my head over the side again, and looked at the duck who was sitting below.

"I-" he began, "I'm very sorry for scaring you, Huey. I didn't mean to."

It was slow enough that I could make out every word.

"You're not mad?" I asked.

"Mad?" He asked loudly, and I ducked back into the bed again, "Why would I be MAD?!"

I was a little scared because it seemed like he was going to get mad while saying he wasn't, but when I looked over Uncle Scrooge was gently swaying both legs back and forth, unconcerned.

"I'm sorry Sir," I said, poking my head over again, "I thought you were mad, and I made you upset. Please forgive me."

Donald looked back up at me again. "There is nothing to forgive," he said slowly, "Huey, I love you. I promise not to hurt you."

What the heck was he talking about?

"Huey," Donald said slowly, "I missed you so much when you were lost. I wanted to raise you just like Dewey or Louie. I want you to eat good food, play games, and I wanted to be your Uncle Donald."

He started to cry again. "Can I-can I still be your Uncle Donald?" He asked, his face in his hands.

I didn't know what to say, so I just looked at Uncle Scrooge.

"There now," he said, rubbing my head, "Just say yes, lad."

"Y-yes, Donald. I mean, Uncle Donald." I said.

Uncle Scrooge rubbed my head even more. Uncle Donald looked up and smiled.

I really didn't get it, but it seemed like everyone was happy now and I wasn't in trouble after all.

"Huey," Uncle Donald said, continuing to speak slowly so I could understand him, "Soon we'll be going on a trip with Uncle Scrooge. So, if you ever think I'm scary, you can stick with him. And if-if you still think I'm scary, you can live with him instead of me."

"Okay." I said.

"Now then," Uncle Scrooge said, bringing his legs in and crawling to the ladder, "Why don't we all go back to the kitchen and get some more hot chocolate? Huey, how does that sound?"

What? I could get _more_ hot chocolate?

I crawled over to the ladder. Uncle Scrooge landed at the bottom of it, and Uncle Donald had walked over to quietly stand next to him.

"But it's not lunch yet?" I asked.

"Of course not," Uncle Scrooge said, waving his hand as if tossing away a problem.

"It's not lunch yet, and I can have more?" I asked again, just to make sure.

Uncle Donald smiled, even though it was a little sad smile, and Uncle Scrooge nodded with a grin.

So naturally, I scrambled down the ladder. When I was a few rungs from the bottom, someone grabbed me by the sides and lifted me to the ground.

I froze as soon as I was grabbed, and for all of three seconds I thought for sure that I would be thrown against the bed or the ground. When my feet touched the floor, I could have cried for joy.

I turned around to see Uncle Donald behind me.

"Sorry," he said, looking embarrassed, "Force of habit."

What did he mean by that?

"Come on, lads." Uncle Scrooge said with a smile as he opened the bedroom door, "It's time for some more hot chocolate!"

I followed Uncle Donald and Uncle Scrooge out the door, letting them lead the way. As soon as we were in the kitchen, Uncle Donald sat down at the table. This time it was Uncle Scrooge who started rummaging through the cupboards.

"Huey? Are you alright?"

I turned around, and the twins were behind me.

"What happened?" Louie asked.

"I thought you boys were going ta watch television." Uncle Scrooge said, filling a pot with water and placing it on the stove.

"Uncle Scrooge, are you cooking?" Dewey asked.

"Aye," he said, turning on the gas, "I wouldna survived in the Yukon if I didn't know how ta cook."

"This again," Louie said, rolling his eyes, "We've heard your Yukon tales like, a million times already."

"Keep that up, and ya won't be getting any more hot chocolate." Uncle Scrooge said, grabbing three cups at once from the cupboard. He then grabbed two more, placing them all on the counter together.

Dewey and Louie sat down quickly at the table next to Uncle Donald.

"We'll be good, Uncle Scrooge!" They said together.

"Aye, that you will. Well, now that we're all back here, it's as good a time as any ta tell you boys _why_ we're going on this trip." Uncle Scrooge said, turning around to look at everyone while he waited for the water to boil.

"Isn't it just to find more treasure?" Louie asked, rolling his eyes.

Treasure?

"Not quite," Uncle Scrooge said, pulling up the only remaining seat at the table. "Huey, sit down."

I sat down obediently.

"Not on the floor lad," Uncle Scrooge said, rolling his eyes and pointing to the chair he had just pulled up. "Get in the chair."

I don't know why Uncle Scrooge gave me the last chair at the table, but when I sat down there were no more seats. Now Uncle Scrooge was left standing, but he seemed to be okay with it.

"We're going to solve the mystery of the lost civilization of the Drakes." He began. "Legend has it, they invented giant mechanical beings that terrorized the ancient world. When the Drakes were conquered by the Romans, that technology was lost. Recently I discovered a lost scroll with a clue ta where they hid their invention, and we're going ta find it."

Dewey and Louie gasped. "So there's a lost civilization with robots?" Louie asked.

"Cool!" Dewey said.

"Robots? What are robots?" I asked.

Dewey and Louie looked at me, and for a second I thought I had said something wrong again.

Then Dewey ran out of his seat over to mine.

"We'll show you!" He said, grabbing my hand, "Come on!"

"But Uncle Scrooge said for me to sit-"

"Uncle Donald will call us when the hot chocolate's ready," Louie said, "Come on, come on! How can you _not_ know about robots?"

As the boys pulled me out of my chair and into the other room, a phone rang. Naturally I stopped moving even though the twins were trying to pull me along, since phones ringing are hardly ever a good thing. But when Uncle Scrooge pulled a phone out of his pocket and answered it, I remembered that I was no longer in the trailer with Ratmeat and Crazyhair.

"Hello?" He asked, and I let the boys pull me out of the room.

"Donald, we've got a problem. We've got ta leave as soon as possible," I heard Uncle Scrooge say, but then Louie and Dewey dragged me into their bedroom and introduced me to some more of their cool toys.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

When we stepped off the plane a few minutes ago, I had never imagined there were this many people in the world.

Even though I was holding tightly to Uncle Scrooge's tailcoat, I still managed to slam right into the same guy who had just crashed into Uncle Donald.

"Hold tight, Huey," Uncle Scrooge said, grabbing my hand, "As soon as we get through this market, we'll have more breathing room."

I let him pull me along as someone else crashed into Uncle Donald. The tall stranger walked away upset, but Uncle Donald didn't notice.

We had taken a plane to get here. A plane! Earlier today I had been up higher than the clouds, and now we were on our way to find some lost treasure of the Blakes or something.

This was like a dream.

Dewey and Louie were slightly ahead of us, jumping through the crowd like fish in a stream. Uncle Donald didn't fare so well, since people kept crashing into him. Of course they all walked away upset, since he didn't have his wallet anymore.

The marketplace was brown and dusty like the houses, but there were colorful things at each stall. When you could actually see them through all the people, though.

"Don't get distracted lad," Uncle Scrooge said, keeping his wallet as someone crashed into him. He was the only one other than me who seemed to notice all the pickpockets here. "We'll get through this soon enough."

Someone else crashed into Uncle Donald. It really was a good thing I never returned his wallet after taking it from the first pickpocket, or it would be long gone by now.

Right as I thought this I saw someone snag the marbles out of Louie's pocket, so I let go of Uncle Scrooge's hand to snag it back.

"Huey!" Uncle Scrooge said, grabbing my arm just after I pocketed the marbles, "Stay with me, boy."

For some reason he started walking while holding my arm, and didn't let go. I don't really like this, but it was still better than the times Ratmeat grabbed me. I kinda knew Uncle Scrooge wasn't going to throw me anywhere.

"We're almost out of this infernal crowd," Uncle Scrooge said, and then just after he said it the people thinned and we were all standing together with space between us. Uncle Scrooge finally let go of me, so I sidled up to Louie to sneak back his marbles without him noticing.

At least, I was pretty sure he was Louie. I think I'm starting to tell the twins apart.

Uncle Donald said something, but I couldn't understand him. I was getting kinda used to that.

"All here, Uncle Donald." Dewey said, apparently responding to him.

"That was more packed than the school library before a test," Louie added.

"Next time we'll take the long way around." Uncle Scrooge said, "Come on, lads. We're spending the night in a hotel. We'll start on the search for the Drake's lost invention bright and early tomorrow."

"A hotel?" Dewey and Louie asked at the same time, "Unca Scrooge, are you feeling ok?"

"And what do ye mean by that?" Uncle Scrooge asked, grabbing my arm again, "Come along, everyone. It's this way."

"Wait!" Uncle Donald shouted, and for some reason I understood him. Then he shouted something else that I didn't understand at all while frantically looking in his pockets.

He was looking for his wallet!

"Maybe you dropped it, Uncle Donald." Louie said.

"We don't have time for this," Uncle Scrooge said, grabbing his cane with both hands, "Boys, you double back and see if its in the ground by the market."

But they weren't going to find the wallet there, since it was still in my pocket. What if they went back in that crowd to look for it and got more stolen from them than just marbles?

But, what if I gave Donald his wallet and he got mad at me? He might think I was the one who stole it!

"Come on Louie. Huey, you should stay with Uncle Scrooge and Uncle Donald." Dewey said, "We don't want you getting lost!"

"W-wait!" I said, almost without thinking, "I-is this it?"

I held up the wallet. "Squack!" Uncle Donald said, taking it back, "Thank you, Huey!"

He said those words purposefully slow, but really loudly.

All of a sudden, I found myself squashed up against Uncle Donald's chest as he spun around the street. "SquankOoo!" He shouted, and he even pat me on the head when he put me down.

What. The heck?!

Then, acting like nothing happened, Uncle Donald grabbed Dewey's hand and practically started skipping down the street.

"The hotel is this way, right Uncle Scrooge?" Louie asked, following them.

"Aye." Uncle Scrooge said, still standing in place.

Then Uncle Scrooge looked right at me, almost like he wanted to say something, but it seemed like he changed his mind.

"Good job lad," he said, "Although, I _wonder_ how ye found it so quickly."

I gulped, but decided not to say anything. When Uncle Scrooge grabbed my hand and started walking, I just followed along.

* * *

The trailer was disgusting.

"What the heck are you doing? Where's dinner?" Crazyhair asked, turning from her show to watch me as I worked in the tiny kitchen.

"Almost ready ma'am," I said, taking the pizza out of the microwave. Good, it was heated up enough.

"You're late." Crazyhair said, turning back to her show. "What are we having?"

"Pizza." I said truthfully.

"Ugh. I meant what _kind_ of pizza, dummy."

"Pepparoni." I said.

"We had that for lunch. Got any Hawaiian?"

"We finished that up last night."

"Then order some more." Crazyhair said, lounging across the tiny couch, "We need some more _fruit_ in our diet."

I obediently walked over to her and took the cell phone out of her hands. The pizza delivery company was on speed dial, so it didn't take long before someone answered.

But as soon as I ordered and hung up the phone, I was knocked to the floor.

"Idiot! Who told you to order that?" Crazyhair shouted, and I couldn't help but cry out just a little, "Did you really think I'd want the same thing we had last night? Huey, you rotten spoiled brat, think a little!"

"What's going on here?" Asked another voice.

Oh no.

 _Ratmeat_.

When did _he_ get here?!

"I asked for cheese pizza, and this little twerp ordered Hawaiian!"

Oh no, not again! Please don't tell him that Crazyhair, please don't tell him that!

"Huey, are ya alright lad?"

 _What? Why would they ask me if..._

I opened my eyes, and was instantly confused. I wasn't in the dirty trailer. Instead, it was so bright the place hurt my eyes, so I closed them right away.

"Huey?" Prompted the voice again, and I opened my eyes with several blinks.

Then, I remembered. This voice belonged to Uncle Scrooge. I was nowhere near the dirty trailer. I must have fallen asleep as soon as we got to the hotel...

The hotel!

I opened my eyes wide and looked around. How could I have fallen asleep so fast? And while it was kinda normal to be on the floor, why was I lying on such a comfy cushion?

"Huey?" Uncle Scrooge asked again. He was sitting next to me.

"I'm awake Sir," I said.

Uncle Scrooge looked a little surprised for some reason, but he just sighed.

"Bad dream?" He asked.

"Not really," I said. The dream had been really normal, after all. "Where are the others?"

"Out getting supplies." Uncle Scrooge said.

"Then I'm going too," I said, getting up. I wanted to be sure to get the light supplies, since I'd be the one carrying them. "See you later, Uncle Scrooge!"

"Now hang on there," Uncle Scrooge said, snagging my arm with his cane, "Ye cannae just leave, Huey! Remember what happened when you left the houseboat? You wouldnae know this, but yer Uncle Donald cried all night because of it."

"But he won't cry this time, since I properly told you that I was going," I said.

"That's not how-" Uncle Scrooge sighed, "Listen. You can't go wandering off on your own. _Especially_ since we're in another country. Promise me that you'll always stay close to me, yer Uncle Donald, or your brothers. Okay?"

"Okay," I said.

"There's a good lad." Uncle Scrooge said, rubbing my head. "Now, why don't we do something together while we wait for them to get back?"

So, does he want to give me private instructions on chores or something?

"Okay," I said.

"Good," Uncle Scrooge said, gesturing for me to sit back down on the cushion, "Now, I'm not one for games. But have ya ever played checkers before?"

I shook my head.

"Well then, no better time to learn than the present." Uncle Scrooge said, pulling out a board game. "Donald got this from the hotel gift shop. He won't mind us using it for a while."

I listened as Uncle Scrooge explained the game. Even though playing against him was another chore, it made me feel kinda happy.

We played several rounds, and it was really hard for me to win at first, but once I realized Uncle Scrooge wouldn't get mad it became more fun.

"We're back!" One of my brothers shouted as the door opened, "And we've got enough supplies for the whole trip!"

"Here Huey," Louie said as he dropped a small backpack in front of me, "This is yours! We all have to carry our own supplies."

"Where's the rest of it?" I asked.

"Uncle Donald's got it!" Dewey said, "He'll be here in a second."

"Unca Donald and Unca Scrooge will carry the heavy stuff, and if we need even more we'll hire a donkey or something." Louie explained.

My eyes opened wide. The grownups were carrying the heavier supplies? Just what was the world coming to?

"Who's winning?" Dewey asked.

"I am," Uncle Scrooge said, "But Huey sure is giving me a run for my money!"

He rubbed my head. I'm not sure why he mentioned money, since we weren't gambling yet.

"I think I hear Uncle Donald," Louie said, "Dewey, come help me help him carry the stuff inside! You too, Huey."

So I followed the twins outside the room, and sure enough Uncle Donald was standing there in the hallway carrying so many bags and supplies that you couldn't see his face.

"Thanks boys," he said as we all took things out of his arms.

Suddenly, a phone rang.

A cell phone.

I nearly dropped the canteens I was holding. Cell phones, or phones of _any_ kind, were never a good thing.

"Can you get that Uncle Scrooge?" Uncle Donald asked, trying to waddle in the door with all the supplies he was still carrying. "The phone's in my bag."

"This better be an emergency, international calls aren't cheap." Uncle Scrooge muttered, walking over to a bag on the ground and fishing out a cell phone.

"Hello? Donald's a little busy right now, who's calling? That's for me, I'm his uncle...Oh yes Chief, I recognize your voice now...Yes, you said the trial would be today, and all the papers would...What?! How could you let this happen? Get everybody out and searching for him on the streets! Don't leave a single stone unturned! I want him found by TONIGHT!"

The cell phone was suddenly thrown against the bed, and Uncle Donald suddenly dropped all his bags onto the floor at once.

"Uncle Donald? You okay?" Louie asked.

"Uncle Scrooge?" Dewey added.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaawr!" Uncle Donald shouted, and just as Uncle Scrooge started to pound the floor in anger, Uncle Donald raced out of the hotel room to parts unknown.

"I wonder what happened to make them so mad," Dewey said.

"Same here." Louie and I said at the exact same time.

Hey, look at that! For a second there, it was like I was one of the twins.

 _To Be Continued..._


End file.
